The Invisible Man- continued
Reading chapter two through the audible book provided a very unique experience. The changes in tone when the narrator recites another character’s quotes makes the memory much more vivid. You almost forget that the narrator is recalling his college experience from his hole in the ground. His interaction with Mr. Norton was very striking to me; this rich white man was one of the founders of the Negro college. On the surface he seemed kind, he maintained an informal demeanor with the narrator and was polite towards him even though there was an obvious divide. When the narrator asked him why he became interested in the school, Mr. Norton replied that it was because “your people were closely connected to my destiny.” This quote revealed the true intentions of the philanthropist white man of this era; he wasn’t involved with the school to help African Americans advance through education. In reality, he was motivated by selfish intentions and a moderate savior complex. Mr. Norton’s strange fascination with black society is further exemplified when he asks the narrator to stop at the cabin of Jim Trueblood, a man who has impregnated his own daughter. Other black people in the community ostracized him after discovering the truth, but Trueblood received aid from white men who wanted to know the details of the horrible act he had committed. Norton reacted in a similar way; he demanded to stay even after the narrator tried to get them to head back to the school. At the end of their visit to the cabin, Norton gives Trueblood a $100 bill. This scene explores the dynamic between blacks and whites at the time; to those in power, black folks were a mere spectacle. They were treated as lesser humans.
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